A clay figure believed to be 13,000 years old and one of the oldest in Japan, was found in an archaeological site in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, the Shiga Prefectural Association for Cultural Heritage said. The tiny figure, 3.1 centimeters in height and 14.6 grams in weight, depicts a female torso with breasts and a waistline. The figure, which was discovered at the Aidanikumahara archaeological site, dates bavkr from the Jomon Pottery Culture era, according to the association. Another female clay figure from approximately the same era was found in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, in 1996.

Source: Asahi (31 May 2010)